The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for Essikado-Ketan Constituency, Charles Onuawonto Bissue, has said the party cannot afford a repeat of the 2008 electoral defeat in the upcoming elections.
He attributed that loss to the NPP’s complacency, noting that the margin of defeat was relatively narrow.
Speaking at a mini rally in Takoradi on Saturday, August 17, 2024, Bissue said the NPP lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by just twenty-three thousand votes in 2008.
He pointed out that this figure roughly translated to a loss of a single vote at each polling station across the country.
Encouraged by the large turnout at the rally, Bissue urged party members and supporters to actively campaign and secure votes at all levels for the upcoming elections.
He stressed the importance of avoiding the mistakes of 2008, stating, “Let’s go out in our numbers to campaign for victory right after the manifesto is launched.”
Echoing Bissue’s sentiments, NPP Vice Presidential Candidate Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh supported the call for vigilance, reminding attendees that the NPP had a strong chance to remain in power after former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s tenure.
He lamented that despite the successes of the Kufuor administration, the NDC managed to sway voters through what he described as “deception” in 2008.
Dr. Prempeh also criticized the NDC for their opposition to the Free SHS policy proposed by then-candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016. He pointed out that the NDC had funded 47 advertisements against the policy, only to later try to claim credit for it.
The NPP is set to launch its manifesto in Takoradi on Sunday, August 18, 2024.
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